Hi guys - newbie here.... with a problem, as ever :(

My lad just got his first car in Dec - Diesel Focus, 2014 plate, 76K. RAC check with a clean bill of health, GSH, MOT 12 months.

6 weeks later it sounds like the gearbox is going ... He is getting a crunching between 1st and 2nd unless he times the revs just right.

Car is in Durham, and still drives beautifully. My lad is gutted as he just got out of hospital in early Dec after major surgery, and we bought this car together (was a private sale). You do all you can to check it out, but sod's law, didn't see this coming.

Any thoughts ... anyone know a good garage in Durham / North East who specialise in gearbox repair / recondition etc? (I am not local to him).

Cheers, Scotia.

Quick update - the lad tells me that this happens in every gear, basically if he revs it past the optimal revs to change gear, then he gets a crunch when he puts the clutch in. If he times the change right, its generally goes fine. Not sure if that help diagnose - but it's driving ok, so we're happy to take anywhere that might be able to fix this at a decent price! Any ideas appreciated ....

Hi,

If it happens in every gear then it's more likely to be a clutch fault.

The gearbox in these is known to be weak though, so I would recommend having a transmission specialist diagnose first. That way you can have the gearbox repaired at the same time if necessary. Would be very annoying to have the clutch changed and then find the gearbox is still not perfect afterwards.